What Goes Around Comes Around
by thor-you-oaf
Summary: When it comes to light that Loki was compromised during the invasion of New York, the Avenger's are stuck with a new mission: guard the Asgardian prince from a darkness that's lurking in the depths of time and space. But can they trust this new side of Loki and allow the sympathy and compassion to rule their hearts, or listen to their minds and stay wary of the God of Lies?
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: What Goes Around Comes Around

**Summary**: When it comes to light that Loki was compromised during the invasion of New York, the Avenger's are stuck with a new mission: guard the Asgardian prince from a darkness that's lurking in the depths of time and space. But can they trust this new side of Loki and allow the sympathy and compassion to rule their hearts, or listen to their minds and stay guarded around the legendary God of Lies?

* * *

"I have a mission for the lot of you, but you're not going to be happy about it," said Nick Fury as he stood in his long, black leather jacket staring with one eye at the group of heroes seated along the conference table. His usual serious expression had been replaced with that of a somber one and for once in his life, Nick did not know what the hell was going on. He did, but he didn't.

"Earlier this night we picked up some signals that were reading the same as the Tesseract energy, the same signals that we recorded when Thor had gone back to Asgard. Well, it turned out to be a messenger, per say, from space. One of Thor's comrades in battle, who went by the name of Lady Sif, whom we have had dealings with in the past, came to deliver a message from the All-father."

"That would be Odin, right? Thor's father, the king of Asgard?" Steve said, piping in with a slightly confused expression. They didn't blame him, it was an utterly confusing concept to grasp for a man that had been unconscious for seventy years, barely awake for two months before the invasion on New York occurred, and that was a month ago.

"That's correct, Captain," Fury confirmed, nodding his head swiftly. He paused before continuing speaking, unsure of how to break the news to his group. It didn't seem right nor was it fair. He had told the board of directors that he wasn't tracking the Avengers, they had earned their right to leave and have a break and yet a month later he'd already called them back and for something so unrealistic he was sure they were going to object or throw him off the base.

Intrigued by Fury's hesitation and unwillingness to speak, Tony leaned forward and drummed his fingers against the table. It was going to be more bad news, he could tell. The atmosphere was too tense for anything good to be said. Clint and Natasha were sitting too uptight, so professional, just like they were getting an assassination mission or something. Whatever Nick was about to say was going to affect them all as a team, else wise he wouldn't have called them there together. Hell, even Bruce had been drafted.

"It has apparently been discovered that…that Loki had been compromised during his attack on our world," Nick got out, and hell broke loose. He closed his mouth and looked around at each of his heroes, listening to what they all had to say. Barton was turning red and arguing obscenities that it was a lie and the bastard was behind the entire attack. Romanoff sat back in her chair with her arms crossed, glaring daggers at nothing but seething at anything. Only when Tony was about to punch Steve in the gut for even considering the idea did Fury break it up.

"Enough!" He yelled in a stern voice and they all quickly shut their mouths. "I have my doubts and suspicions, but this is something we have to look into lest we risk intergalactic war with the Asgardian's. If anything, we owe it to Thor because he is a member of this team."

"What exactly did this Lady Sif tell you?" Bruce asked, speaking up in the silence. They all grumbled in agreement wanting to know the exact details, watching him expectantly for an answer. Finally taking a seat at the head of the table, Fury leaned forward on his elbows and began to relay the message.

"All I know is this: the Asgardian's somehow found out that Loki was being controlled but they don't know the full extent to that or how exactly it was managed. Apparently Loki is an extremely powerful sorcerer that can't be controlled so easily. Then they managed to find the name of the person who was playing puppet-master, and now they are going after the guy to find out answers. In the meantime, Loki is at risk – they think the Chitauri or whatever enemies/allies he has are going to come back for him to keep him from talking," He explained slowly, trying not to mess up any of the details. It had all been explain in a rush, there was still much to be said.

"What does that have to with us now and what's the mission we're being assigned to?" Steve asked, glancing around at his comrades.

"The Asgardian's have decided to send Loki back to Earth. He'll be here in twelve hours, cuffed and muzzled the way we sent him off."

"Hell no!"

"So what, we're playing body guards to that megalomaniac?"

"What if it's all a trap? We can just let him back in our world so readily just because he's pretending someone was fucking with his head!"

"What do you want me to do? Whether or not we want Loki here, the Asgardian's are bringing him to the base where we can keep him in confinement under twenty-four seven surveillance," Fury argued back, having no choice in this decision whatsoever. It was hard to argue with aliens that could potentially cause just as much havoc on the planet as the Chitauri did.

Clint slammed his hands down on the table, startling them all, and stood up with blazing eyes. "You can't just trust them because they think they're superior to us! We have no clue if that bastard brainwashed them too and is coming back for round two."

"You're right, Agent Barton, we don't know that. We'll just have to wait and see when he gets here," Fury said quietly, crossing his arms.

"Or we can just kill him on sight," Clint argued fiercely, unwilling to just give up. There was too much at risk, innocent lives could be at stake once again and they were just going to allow that monster back in their lives like nothing had happened. It was so wrong and he refused to let it happen.

"I agree with Fury, we need to wait and see before making any rash decisions. If Loki is cooperative then we should – " Steve began to say, trying to calm the situation and bring forth some rational thinking.

"He killed hundreds of people! Why should he be allowed to come back and live without punishment?" Clint exclaimed angrily.

"We don't kill people without cause, Clint," Natasha said softly, reaching over to place a hand on his shoulder to show that she understood what he was feeling and thinking, but she stopped and pulled her hand back when Clint said probably the cruelest thing to her.

"You did."

The room went dead silent and they all stared at Clint incredulously, then back at Natasha waiting for her reaction. Bruce half expected her to whip out her gun and shoot his tongue off in front of them, but Natasha just stood up coolly and looked around at them all.

"I agree with Fury. Meet back here in twelve hours. Whether we like it or not, Loki is coming back to Earth and we will _all _be there and ready," She said quietly, walking out of the room.

"Smooth," Fury said, giving Clint a look before following Natasha out. Something told him that she needed reminded that she was an asset to this organization and that she was not the same person she'd been in the past – Clint had been extremely out of line. Natasha Romanoff was SHIELD's greatest weapon, no matter what her morals had been in the past.

"And everybody says _I'm _a heartless ass," Tony snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. Clint sent him a glare and sat back down, crossing his arms childishly.

"That bastard fucked with my head. He doesn't deserve mercy," He said quietly, not caring how childish he was sounding. They didn't understand, none of them did.

"But you know what, Clint? Somebody fucked with _his _head too. Yeah, we don't know that one hundred percent for sure, but if it's true? Are you still going to hold a grudge for something he probably had no control over?" Bruce said, his voice stern and wavering slightly. Clint opened his mouth to say yes, yes he would because it's not the same - Coulson had told him all about the Destroyer in New Mexico, so that just proved Loki was evil despite anything – but before he could get a word out he was shut up instantly.

"Then should we hold you accountable for your actions too? I mean, if it doesn't matter that mind control was in use…then you're just as guilty as he is. Because face it, Barton, we're all killers. We've all done bad things. We covered this two days ago. So you need to get your act together, do you understand me? None of us like this guy, none of us _trust _him either, but this isn't about us," Bruce lectured him before he too left the room, closely followed by Tony.

Steve shifted awkwardly in his seat, and Clint stormed out of the conference room leaving him left alone. Sighing softly, Steve stood up and looked around – what exactly was he supposed to do now? The team had only just gotten together and already they were falling apart.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: What Goes Around Comes Around

**Summary**: When it comes to light that Loki was compromised during the invasion of New York, the Avenger's are faced with a new mission: guard the Asgardian prince from a darkness that's lurking in the depths of time and space. But can they trust this new side of Loki and allow sympathy and compassion into their hearts, or listen to their minds and stay wary of the legendary God of Lies

* * *

It was supposed to be a typical Friday evening. They were supposed to spend the night relaxing, order in some dinner and have a few drinks, maybe play a game or watch a movie, or just sit around swapping stories. They needed the break after a strenuous week of working. Clint and Natasha would just be returning from whatever top secret mission they'd been on, and Tony would be finished with a week's worth of business meetings concerning Stark Industries. Bruce would take a break from bringing Steve up to par with this century and even Pepper would join in on the night's fun occasionally. Friday's were their secret bonding time between them all where SHIELD couldn't contact them and anything outside of the tower didn't matter – this was their time together as normal people, not superheroes. But not tonight, thanks to all the drama a certain psychotic Norse god was causing.

They were all sitting gathered around the island in the kitchen silently picking at the dinner that they had ordered in. No one had said a word since they had come home two hours ago and the tension in the air was still just as thick as it had been on the helicarrier. There was much to be said, apologies needed to be made, and a plan of action was much desired to be discussed as a team. However they were still missing a vital member of the group, but none of them quite expected Thor to join them so unexpectedly. And by unexpectedly, that meant crashing through the ceiling.

It felt like lightening had struck the building, which was really quite probable, and dust filled the air, causing them all to cough and splutter as they breathed it in. Only when it began to clear did they recognize the figure kneeling on the ground, having crash landed on the quinjet in the same manner just a month before.

"Damn it, Thor! Must you use my tower as a landing area? It does not hold up to the pressure and I'm tired of wasting money fixing the top two floors! We just fixed all the damage that Bruce did," Tony exclaimed swatting away the dust as they all headed over to their friend.

"It's not his fault, Tony. He can't control where the Bifrost thing lands him. And I already apologized for bashing your floor in," Bruce reminded him with a wide grin. But that grin slid off his face just as quickly as Natasha had whipped out her gun and Tony had his bracelets build into the blaster hand, both pointing at Thor.

Thor raised his head and narrowed his eyes at his friends, tightening his hold around the figure in his arms. "I will have you lower your weapons and stand down," He said in a low voice that clearly meant there was to be no arguing.

"And I will ask you one time, Thor: why the hell is Loki in my tower?" Tony answered in a thin voice as they all moved in closer. Bruce had slipped away to run and grab Clint's arrows and Steve's shield, there was no doubt a fight was in order. This was Loki after all and nothing good would come out of his being here – Fury had said _twelve hours _at the _helicarrier_ where several armed agents would be present and boundaries set. It had only been two hours and this was Stark Tower where only two of them had weapons ready.

Thor kept his arms wrapped protectively around his brother with one hand gripping Mjolnir; prepared to swing at his friends should they foolishly decide to strike. "I will explain to you, my friends, if you will stand down. Loki is no threat to you at the moment," He bargained.

"Jarvis, call SHIELD. Tell them we have a war criminal in custody," Steve called out hesitantly, looking towards his team mates for approval. They all nodded in agreement, though none of them taking their eyes off the brothers.

"Lower your weapons," Thor repeated once again, slowly lifting up Mjolnir.

"Thor, put down the hammer and be rational," Natasha warned him without taking her eyes of Loki. "We thought that Loki was going to be brought by guards to the helicarrier in handcuffs and the muzzle. We're being cautious, alright? Just put down the hammer and let's handle this calmly."

Thor looked around at the four of them before slowly letting his hand drop to his side. Just as Bruce rushed back into the room with the shield and arrows, handing them off to their rightful owners, another bright light lit up the room and a gush of wind spread dust as another arrival came via Asgard. Without warning, a bullet was fired, an arrow released, and Tony was about to let out a blast when it was all rebounded.

"Stop! Do not fire against Lady Sif!" Thor bellowed standing up quickly, lifting the hammer to strike in defense. However, before he could do anything, Sif grabbed his arm harshly and pulled him back.

"Thor, enough! You are frightening your brother, you idiot!" She exclaimed, whacking his arm and gestured to the ground where Loki was cowering behind his legs.

"Can someone please explain what the hell is going on here?" Tony cut in, looking between the Asgardian's. The rest of the Avenger's began to back down and only Natasha kept her gun pointed at the three just in case. Thor sighed heavily and kneeled on the floor, placing a hand on Loki's back, and Loki sighed wearily and leaned his head against Thor's knees.

"There is much to explain, my friends, and I will tell you in due time. Call your SHIELD comrades, as was negotiated by the All-Father. But I promise you, Loki is no threat – at the moment – so I plead with you, stand down," Thor said tiredly, looking at them all with grave eyes.

Natasha looked around at her teammates for approval and when Steve nodded swiftly she slowly lowered her weapon and took a step back before saying, "You need to tell us everything, Thor. Fury isn't happy about this situation and quite frankly, neither are we but we are in your debt so we're going to hear you out."

"I don't know what you mean by saying that _he _isn't a threat at the moment, but that completely sounds like he's going to snap at any given moment. We'll hear you out, but I'm going to have to insist that he is retrained," Steve added in. Clint grumbled under his breath that he would be more than happy to find some cuffs.

Thor was about to agree that Loki could be contained under supervision, but before he could say anything Sif gave him a look and nodded her head upwards. "Thor, you need to go back. They need your help and the All-Father isn't going to be pleased when he realizes that you left after he specifically told you not to. I told you that I would take care of Loki and the Midgardian's," She said quietly.

Thor sighed and looked down at Loki, then to his friends, and finally back to Sif with a defeated look on his face. Finally he kissed the top of Loki's head and stood back up, looking evenly at the lady warrior.

"I will say my goodbyes after giving a brief explanation, and then you may continue with your duties. In the meantime, I ask that you stand watch over Loki," He told her in a hard voice before turning to his friends. "Is there a room you would have him held in? I assure you that Sif is quite capable of disarming my brother should he _snap_."

They all glanced at each other knowing that there was no prison cell or container like on the carrier that could hold Loki safely, but if Sif was the designated Asgardian then they would have to trust that she would handle it effectively and so Tony beckoned her to follow him out of the room. Sif kneeled down to Loki's level and whisper to him before coaxing him to stand up and walk with her; he kept his face down as they left with Tony.

The rest of them remained in the rubble left in the living room, standing around awkwardly and avoiding each other's gazes. When Tony returned about five minutes later he waved for them all to follow him into another room of the floor that was not covered in dust and pieces of ceiling. They headed down the hall and settled on couches, Tony picked up a tablet and typed a few things in before the television screen lit up and showed the video feed of the room Sif and Loki were in. They all watched in silence for a few minutes, taking in the odd sight of Loki curled in a ball on the bed with the strange woman patting his back like a mother.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Thor said eventually, not taking his eyes off the screen. "Even I can't get used to this sight. My brother and Sif have never gotten along, they hated each other for so long and now Sif is one of the only people that Loki trusts."

"Um, I think we're more put off by the fact that one month ago that guy was a murderous raving lunatic and now he's cowering behind a girl," Clint said, scoffing loudly to show his discontent. He looked away from the feed and rolled his eyes, glaring at the floor in front of him. He didn't want to look at Loki; it made anger boil inside of him to know that that monster was just a few feet away from him.

"What happened, Thor? After you left for Asgard, what happened? Don't leave anything out," Steve said, looking at the foreigner curiously – he didn't like to think that Thor was an alien from outer space, he just wasn't ready to believe that there was more in the world than just Earth.

"I have limited time to explain, that is what Sif is here for," Thor began in a defeated voice.

"Who exactly is Sif again?" Natasha asked, vaguely recalling reading the briefing of New Mexico last year.

"She is Lady Sif, one of my oldest and dearest friends," said Thor, ready to begin his explanation, but was quickly cut off as Tony put his two cents in.

"Well, she seemed pretty pissed at you. Ex-Girlfriend or something?" He asked with a grin, but stopped when Bruce kicked his leg and Thor narrowed his eyes before continuing.

"Sif is my betrothed and because of that fact I am trusting her with Loki rather than join me and our friends in battle. She is angry with me and is under the impression that I am protecting her like a maiden. But I am getting off track, I believe."

"Thor, just tell us _why _you think Loki is being compromised and what exactly you want us to do about it," Bruce said, slightly exasperated. This was being dragged out and they were all getting impatient – where was SHIELD, anyways?

"We don't think Loki is being compromise, we know for a fact that he is. We don't know how and we don't know what, but there is something embedded in his head that is taking control of him. At sometimes he is just blank, other times he will speak and convey what's going on in his head – but then all of a sudden the control with start again and it will as if it's the same Loki that attack Midgard…it's all very confusing. I'm not quite sure how to explain it for I don't fully understand myself," Thor said, his voice trailing off as his brows furrowed curiously.

"If you had just listened to the All-Father then you would understand perfectly," came the icy tone of Sif, standing in the doorway of the room. "Thor, you need to say your goodbyes and go. Asgard needs her prince in battle."

"Asgard is protected, Sif. When will you stop blaming me for everything?" Thor said exasperatedly, standing up to face her.

"When you stop making such idiotic decisions, Thor! Your brash actions are causing nothing but trouble and chaos. Now get back to Asgard before the Chitauri break through the front lines."

"What? The Chitauri are attacking Asgard?"

"What the hell is going on, Thor?"

"I thought I blew them up!"

"Can well all just calm down for a moment and just – "

They were all stopped talking when a scream ripped through the room. It was the most agonizing, fearful noise that any of them had ever heard and when Thor and Sif went running out of the room, none of them hesitated to follow. When they came to the room where Loki had been left in, none of them had expected to see their enemy writhing on the bed with blood dripping out of his nose and mouth and eyes wide with terror as he clutched his head crying out heartbreakingly.


	3. Chapter 3

**angrbodagiantess**: What's happening on Asgard will be explained as the chapters play out, revealed through Loki's thoughts and flashbacks. As for Jane, she will come much later in the story. Everything is still following the movie verse, but I just have it in my mind that Sif and Thor will be married eventually but have an agreement that until that time comes they're free agents.

**author's notes:** Dumb question to ask but the title seems oddly familiar to me and I've read so many fanfics that I'm just wandering if I accidently used someone elses title? If anyone knows, please tell me and I can change it. Anyways, all your questions will be answered as the story plays out. Can't jam everything into the first three chapters! Enjoy.

* * *

"Somebody hold down his arms and legs! Quickly before he hurts himself or one of us!" Sif yelled loudly over the ear-piercing screams coming from a struggling Loki. They wasted no time getting into action, running to the convulsing God and pinning him to the floor. Steve and Natasha held down his legs, struggling against his surprising strength; Bruce and Clint had his arms gripped tightly, they too were struggling. That left Thor holding lightly to Loki's head and Sif kneeling over him, wiping away the blood from his face.

They held him still for several long minutes until the screams began to lessen and eventually stopped all together, leaving Loki lying there on the floor panting heavily and sweating as he stared up at the ceiling with empty eyes. Once he'd calmed down they each lifted their hold of him and back away a few inches, staring in shock at the body before them.

"What the hell was that?" Tony asked, scrutinizing Loki closely as if he half expected the guy to start up again. "Seriously, what? You aren't doing a great job explaining shit, buddy. I expect you have about five more minutes before SHIELD busts through my front door and I'm not going to stop them from taking the basket case with them."

"Watch how you speak to a prince," Sif rounded on him, eyeing him fiercely. "Everything will be explained in due time just as negotiated. We are not stopping you from locking Loki up, alright?"

"Then what exactly is going on here? Because quite honestly, I'm really confused. Is he a prisoner or are we babysitting him until you all get back from battling the Chitauri in Asgard – which you ought to explain as well," Bruce commented, pushing his glasses up his nose. He needed answers quickly because his inner doctor emotions were stirring within him and telling him that it was quite evident that Loki was in dire need of medical attention; there was still blood trailing from his nose. Already he was trying to figure out what had cause such pain like that; had a vein burst, causing the bleeding? Or was it something to do with – he didn't know if he should believe it – whatever was embedded in Loki's mind causing the pain?

"Loki is not a prisoner, nor are you "babysitting" him," Sif said, wiping away more of the blood from Loki's face. "As Thor has so obviously failed to explain to you, Loki needs heavily locked up for his own protection and for our own protection. He shouldn't have been brought this way lest the control start again and he turn to attack. But Thor so brashly decided to bring Loki himself, without restraints."

"You can hardly blame me! Loki is my brother and I don't like him being chained like a criminal when none of this is his fault! He is just as innocent as any of us and deserves to be treated so," Thor argued, his voice growing louder. A rumble of thunder played in the distance but none of them paid any heed to it. They were too busy watching Loki to make sure he didn't jump up, and listening to Thor and Sif argue.

"Yes, I know this, Thor. But if Loki suddenly attacks and hurts somebody then it's just going to add to the guilt he already feels! We don't need him any more unstable than he already is, he's hurting enough! Think about what you're doing! I know you love Loki, but society as a whole is greater than one individual. He told me this Thor, he understands that he needs to be restrained and locked up because _he doesn't want to hurt anyone else_!" Sif exclaimed loudly, standing up to face her friend.

They locked gazes for several moments, neither of them standing down. It wasn't until Jarvis broke through the tense silence informing the group that SHIELD had arrived and were on their way up did Sif and Thor turn away from each other.

"I must go now, my friends. Asgard needs me; I cannot turn my back on my home. Lady Sif will explain everything to you, much clearer than I could ever manage," Thor said quietly, turning away from them and kneeling down next to Loki, gently running his hand over Loki's cheek. "I know that it will be difficult to understand and believe but there is one thing I can tell you…you can trust Loki's pain. Heimdall, when you're ready."

"Wait, you can't just leave like – damn it," Steve said as a bright light filled the room, sucking Thor into space. Within the next minute, several armed agents burst into the room and shouting began all around. In the end they all stood back and watched as Loki was cuffed and muzzled, half carried away just like he had been a month ago after his defeat and capture. By the end of the hour, they found themselves back in the conference room on the base, ready for story time via Asgardian warrior Sif.

* * *

It was getting late and they were all exhausted by the day's events, but sleep was a long ways off. There was too much left unsaid and questions that needed answers. Plans needed to be devised and set into motion and inner feelings and thoughts needed sorted out. No, sleep was not an option until this all got dealt with and by the looks of it, it was going to be a very long night. They all sat in the exact chairs they'd been in earlier, this time with Sif sitting at the head of the table with all eyes on her.

"Start at the beginning, with New Mexico and the Destroyer," Nick said curtly, tired of waiting to understand what was really happening. When Sif nodded her head, they all shifted unconsciously and readied themselves.

"You have to understand that we've all made mistakes. We're all to blame, so there's no saying that Loki is guilty or innocent or that it's anybody's fault. This all was hundreds of years of misunderstanding shattering the innocence of a boy because of a secret," Sif began, recalling the events of Thor's inauguration. The story had been told to she and her friends – it had all made so much sense after. "Loki discovered that he was not an Asgardian, but adopted by the All-Father by a race of monsters. He felt like he was tainted because of the blood that ran through his veins, and so he so foolishly tried to prove himself worthy of his place. It was stupid, yes, we all agree on that, but regardless he still failed and ended his life."

"He couldn't have ended his life if he's still here," Clint pointed out, slightly less hostile than he had been earlier. By no means was he warming up to the idea and nor was he going to take pity – but he wasn't going to be so thick-headed and not _try _to at least understand. Sif was right, they had all made mistakes in life.

"He fell from the Bifrost and through the darkest depths of the universe. Time passes by differently, he was gone from our world for a year but he revealed that it was a decade that he fell in isolation. That entire time he wished to die, for it all to come to an end, but it didn't. At some point he landed in the hands of the Chitauri."

"Wait, how do you even know all of this? If you got this information from Loki then how can you be sure that it's true?" Tony demanded and they all muttered in agreement. Even Thor had just told them not to trust Loki, but to trust his pain whatever that meant. It was evident that the guy was still just as psychotic in the mind as he had been a month ago.

"If you would close your mouths and let me finish, I would tell you. You told me to start at the beginning, to explain everything, and that is what I'm doing. You listen to all the details, or you listen not at all," Sif warned them thinly.

"All of you, shut the hell up and listen to the lady," Fury demanded, and they all shut their mouths. He then nodded at Sif to continue, vaguely wandering if all Asgardian's were demanding or if it was just Thor and his friends.

Sif paused briefly, glancing down at her hands with an unusual look in her eyes before speaking once again. "We discovered quickly that there was something wrong with Loki. Just as you saw earlier, he had collapsed in his prison cell in utter pain. We were wary at first, believing it to be a hoax, but then the bleeding started, and his eyes would change colors, and he would plead for somebody to help him. Afterward he told the All-Father that he had something in his mind, but he didn't know what. He warned us against trusting him, saying that he was not in control and couldn't stop it. He – He asked that we take his life to save our own."

They all sat in silence, staring at the female warrior as they let this new information sink in. It was believable in the aspect that it was entirely unbelievable. On a psychological view point, it all added up perfectly. Of course it had to be the truth; an evil person does not beg to give their life for the well-being of others. But at the same time, on reverse psychology, it was best way to gain trust. But the pain that they had heard in his voice, the absolute fear that was evident in his eyes – there was no faking that.

"And he managed to give a name, the person who was behind it all?" Natasha asked quietly, looking at Sif for confirmation. She had so many more questions, there were many puzzle pieces scattered about waiting to be put into place before the entire story matched up. If Loki was being controlled, how did the Chitauri play into it? And if he was still being controlled by whatever was locked away in his mind, wouldn't his controller be watching him and making sure that Loki didn't talk? However, before she had a chance to voice any of her suspensions, Sif answered them all.

"The All-Father is very powerful and was able to briefly look into Loki's mind, but the repercussions were terrible. It is Thanos the Mad Titan who is in control, one of the eternal beings that cannot die. It was long before our time that Thanos and the All-Father battled against each other, now I assume that he's come back for round two and is using Loki as a ploy. He means to kill Loki and that's why we need your help guarding him. Thanos believes that Loki is locked away on Asgard, he will never suspect that we brought Loki back to the very planet he tried to enslave," Sif informed them all.

They were potentially facing a mad man that could destroy the entire universe as they knew it and all because one little prince was feeling suicidal. Clint resisted a scoff and crossed his arms; this was ridiculous. Looking around at his friends he was pleased to see skeptical expressions gracing their faces, but the beginnings of sympathy could already be seen in their eyes.

"What do we have to do?" Fury asked slowly, trying to come up with the odds for winning this situation.

"Keep Loki safe – from himself. Thanos can control his mind to self-destruct, to turn against you all and attack, but if you keep him guarded and confined then I have no doubt that you will have much trouble with him. With the battle going on, Thanos will be distracted from making Loki do anything drastic, but he will still cause him pain. You have to remember, Loki was supposed to bring him the tesseract and failed to do so – Thanos is not Loki's ally."

"Thor told us that he thought it strange that you were on Loki's side –that you two always hated each other. By what basis do we have to trust you?"

"You do not have to trust me, I am merely following my orders from the All-father. If you question the All-Father then I would be quite happy to relay a message when I go back. Believe what you wish but regardless of anything Loki is now in your hands I trust on behalf of the All-Father that you will not abuse your power over him. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll say my goodbyes and go back, my home is under attack and needs my protection."

They stared after Sif as she left the conference room but it wasn't until the door shut behind her and she was escorted away by an agent did they began to discuss exactly what they were thinking about this entire situation, and they all have very diverse opinions.

"I say its bullshit," Tony said, throwing his hands up to show that he thought this was completely ridiculous. "It sounds completely sketchy, right? I mean come on, out of all of that I got that we can't trust Loki and that he is dangerous."

"But it's not about trusting Loki, is it?" Fury piped in, looking around at the Avenger's. "It's about going by what the All-Father says. Given that he's probably the most powerful being in the universe, it's hard to argue with that. Quite honestly, we don't have a choice. Once Sif leaves, we're stuck with Loki until someone comes back to get him."

"Fine then, I'm okay with that if he's our prisoner. He _is _our prisoner, they even said so," Clint said, looking around for anyone to agree with him. "He ought to be treated like the war criminal he is. Locked up tight never to see the light of day again. If this Thanos guy decides to fuck with his head, he should be so chained up that he can't move a muscle and nothing can happen."

"Should we lock you up as well, Clint?" Natasha retorted, giving him an annoyed look.

"Fuck you, Tasha," Clint sneered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I personally am inclined to believe this as the truth," Bruce said, putting in his two cents before another war started between them. They all stopped and looked at him with varying expressions, so he continued on to explain himself. "We all saw what he went through. The pain was clear as day, you can't fake something like that. And it all sort of comes down to whether or not we are loyal to Thor because if we are then we're going to go about this civilly. I, for one, appreciate Thor as a member of this time and therefore I'm going to go see if Loki is alright. What the rest of you decide is up to you, but I think Thor would appreciate your help."

"Then I'm going with you," Steve said, standing up to follow Bruce out. He wasn't sure what to think about this, but it was only the beginning. Whatever lay ahead of them would come in time, but right now he agreed with Bruce. Loki had been in pain earlier and it wouldn't be right to ignore him if he needed medical attention.

* * *

There was a throbbing pain in his head, sort of like a migraine only ten times more intense. _They _were trying to get in control again but he refused to let that happened – but fighting them off only made the pain worse. It was futile in the end, they would always win and conquer his mind and use his body like a marionette and he would have no choice to play to their will. The poisonous words would flow off his tongue like a second nature, the feelings of anger and abhor swam through his veins and felt so real that sometimes he didn't know if it really was control or if those feelings were his own. That thought scared him and was why he did not argue against having his arms chained to a wall where he couldn't move.

Lifting his head up slightly, Loki blinked twice to clear his blurry vision. He knew that he was somewhere on SHIELD's base in a room where the front wall was a made of glass so anybody could see inside. He could make out figures that he took to be agents guarding the area, and he had no doubt there were cameras in the room as well, putting him on constant supervision. Good, that was very good. He just wished the chains were a little bit tighter, they felt too loose and he didn't want to end up breaking free of them and running loose like a mad man. Blinking again, Loki felt a sense of relief wash over him when the door slid open and in walked the familiar face of Sif.

"I assume that you are leaving now," He said quietly, lowering his head once again as she sat down beside him. He didn't want her to leave. It was childish, he knew that, but he needed someone by his side for comfort, for protection. He recalled all that happened here on Midgard and he knew the strength the Avenger's had, but he had escaped once and he could do it again.

Sif nodded slowly, breathing lightly. She lifted a hand and placed it on Loki's cheek, making him look her in the eye as she said seriously, "We will fight the Chitauri and make Thanos pay for what he's done to you."

"Is that love I hear in your voice, my dear Sif?" Loki said with a slight smirk in his voice. He had been beaten, used, and his mind was all jumbled up but never had he lost himself. No, he refused to let them take that from him. And when Sif slapped his cheek, he could only grin at her reaction.

"Don't fill your head with silly fantasies. I have no interested in men that have a fairer complexion than I. Nor men who I can beat in battle," She replied, giving him a look. "Unless you speak of your own feelings for me? I see the way you look, something catch your interest?"

"Oh please, as if anyone could be attracted to you and your lack of breasts," Loki said, giving a quick look at her bosom. Before Sif had a chance to reply, he cut her off and continued on, changing the subject. "You should go now, Sif. I know you yearn for battle, don't stay here on my behalf. Go, defeat the Chitauri once and for all…and, if you could…"

"What is it, Loki?" Sif asked, her voice softening at the melancholic look in Loki's eyes. She knew that look, it was the same one he wore as a child, a gentle look of pleading, wanting something so badly but too ashamed to say anything.

"Tell my family that I – I'm sorry for all that I've caused and that I…No, no, never mind. Don't say anything," Loki said, quickly shaking his head as he looked away embarrassedly. "It's nothing. Thank you, Sif, for all that you've done for me."

Sif stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. "We'll come back for you and get that thing out of your head. Just stay strong, Loki, okay? Goodbye, my prince."

"Stop being so polite and ladylike, it's entirely unlike you. I'm not an invalid," Loki said with a sigh, but none-the-less he looked into her eyes and smiled lightly. "Goodbye, Sif. Take care of my brother."

Nodding swiftly, Sif stood up and walked out of the room knowing if she didn't go now then she wouldn't go at all. The door slid shut behind her and latches clicked into place, one of the agents nodded to her as she walked by. She didn't get very far before she ran into two of the Avengers, Bruce and Steve she recalled.

"We're just going to check on Loki, make sure he's not dying or something," Bruce explained to her, rubbing the back of his head. "Is there anything tell us about this whole…control and pain inducing thing?"

"There's nothing you can do to help him, and he's too stubborn to accept help anyways. Loki can handle himself. Just watch him and be wary of what he says, it will be difficult for you decipher his truths from lies. You didn't know him before, that makes it more difficult. If I could stay and help I would, but the Chitauri are attacking and looking for him, I need to go," Sif informed them, glancing at the ceiling and wandering if they would throw a fit if she called the Bifrost inside. No, she would be decent and go to the roof at least. She had manners, unlike Thor.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you so trusting of Loki if you hated him?" Steve asked hesitantly, staring at the brown haired lady. The question had been on his mind ever since Thor has crash landed earlier and he couldn't shake the suspicion that Loki could be manipulating her and plotting against them.

Sif's eyes clouded over slightly, a bittersweet smile graced her lips as she turned her head slightly to look at the two men. "Because I saw what was inside Loki's mind."

With that, Sif walked away and it would be months before any of them saw her again.


End file.
